


When I Kissed The Teacher

by corruptedteacups



Category: Vivaldi: Die fünfte Jahreszeit - Kolonovits/Messner
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Jealousy, Mamma Mia! References, Multi, Multiple Pairings, Musical, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship, Theatre, musical AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-05-01 18:49:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19183627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corruptedteacups/pseuds/corruptedteacups
Summary: Catarina Russo finally snagged the role of her dreams, but ended up with a lot more than she expected.





	1. Chapter 1

“No, no, no, no! Goddam- I’m so sorry. Pardon me.”

Barely anyone parted from the girl barreling her way down the sidewalk, leather satchel with its heavy books bruising her hip with every swing. The door barely opened in time for her to avoid running into it, the man holding it muttering his disappointment.

“Sorry!! Why am I always late, why me?”

A scared boy flattened himself against the wall, curls barely grazing his nose before she disappeared down the staircase in a flurry of dark hair.

“Goddammit! Sorry, forgive me. EXCUSE ME I’M LATE!”

Her boots pounded against tile floors, skidding as she nearly missed the door she had been so desperate to get behind moments before. It slammed into the wall, the sound echoing through the theater.

“Last call for au-“

“I’m here!”

The curtains fluttered behind her, her bag dropping near the stage entrance with a clatter of pins and buttons. Immediately, Catarina realized how stupid she must look. She had just frantically run on stage unannounced, her chest heaving from running across her campus and three blocks down to the theater from her last class. A quick look to the other girls lined up on stage made her second guess herself, all of them with nicely curled hair and sweet long dresses. She herself had put on a dress this morning for the occasion, the only white dress she owned, but it might have looked a little odd with her normal attire. White eyelets looked more mid-90’s than anything with scuffing leather boots, wild curls, a faded jean jacket and her probably fading or smudged trademark lipstick.

God, she hoped she didn’t have purple on her teeth.

“And you are?”

“Russo, Catarina Russo. My names on the list. I’m really sorry I’m late, I’m not going to make excuses, should have left class earlier.”

“You’re a college student?”

“Yes sir, just down the street.”

She wanted to kick the girl who sniggered behind her. College students always got a bad reception at auditions outside of the school’s own productions. This was her sixth time trying to get a part, any part, that wasn’t as a background character in her own departments performances. The laughter didn’t go unnoticed, eyes darting from the crowd of blondes behind her before looking back to the brunette standing in center stage.

“Don’t call me sir, makes me sound so much older than I feel.”

“Sorry, Mr. Goldoni.”

“Oh, you know me?”

“I mean, I read the information for the auditions. Why is that surprising?”

“You’d be surprised how many people only care about what they’re performing.”

It was her turn to snicker, watching his eyes flick to the others and hearing them shuffle behind her. At least part of her initial impression was better than others. She covered her smile as soon as he turned his gaze back to her.

“What are you studying?”

“I’m doubling in Music Composition and Musical Theater.”

“How old are you?”

“20.”

“You look younger.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot, can I audition now?”

She didn’t miss the crinkle of a smile at the corners of his eyes.

“Can you sing?”

“Would I be here if I couldn’t?”

“Excellent. Maes-“

“He’s gone for the day.”

Catarina had barely noticed the girl sitting in the floor of the first row, halfway hidden behind Goldoni and blending into the floor in her black skirts. She was quietly shuffling through a binder she had propped up on her knees. Goldoni turned on a heel to look down at her before scanning the room behind him quickly.

“Since when?”

“About ten minutes ago. He had a date, because some people actually still go on those before diving into bed with someone, remember?”

Uttering one of the deepest sigh she’d ever heard, he turned back towards the group. The girl was almost giggling behind her papers at his disapproval. As soon as her smile had appeared, it vanished, only a ghost on red lips when Goldoni turned back to her with an outstretched hand. She looked up at him with a raised brow.

“Yes?”

“The audition piece we pulled, please.”

“Certainly.”

She nearly pulled him to the floor with her, catching him off guard by taking his hand and climbing to her feet unexpectedly. The few feet between her and the front of the stage closed quickly, Catarina taking the few pages clutched in her outstretched hand. Looking over them quickly she recognized the section, glancing at the head of wildly colored hair that now sat on the stage near her feet.

“I’ll read everyone else, just read for Sophie. Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Their shared look turned to the director who had now set himself into a chair, arms crossed, and his feet propped on the seat in front of him. All it took was nod for her to fill her lungs, and with a shaking breath she did the only acceptable thing she could.

She began.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, she was once again standing center stage. Goldoni had told her to come back to sing her piece when the music director was there, so here she was again, this time alone under the bright lights. She had barely slept a wink the night before, laying in her bed till the early hours of the morning when she finally fell asleep an hour before her alarm for her first class. At least she looked a little more presentable today, her hair neat as it could be and the fringe of skirt swinging against the weave of her tights. She hoped she looked presentable, she was incredibly nervous, and the weight of her jacket was doing little to calm her.

 When she had walked in and called a hesitant greeting to the empty theater, the girl from yesterday yelled back from the depths of the orchestra pit and scared the living daylights out of her. Creeping towards the stage’s edge, she was met with a small black lipped smile from on top of the piano.

“You’re on time today.”

“I am, and…”

“..and they aren’t.”

Catarina took a seat on the stages end, letting her legs swing in the empty space and her boots run into each other with a satisfying “clunk” every few moments. The girl was sitting with a book in her lap, red tights showing through ripped jeans and dark hair in braids that hung near her jaw. She looked up when Catarina paused in confusion.

“They went to get coffee about an hour ago, they’re probably talking as they shuffle along or they found one of the baristas to flirt with. Hopefully they’ll be back so-“

“You’re here!”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

Slamming her book shut, she quickly jumped to her feet to peek over the edge of the orchestra pit. Catarina laughed when she cursed at her white books squeaking against the polished surface, but it was drowned out by Goldoni’s chuckling at the girls nose barely peeking over the barrier.

“You’re late Carlo.”

“I’m am not, you all can’t start till I’m here. Which means I’m on time, she’s early.”

“Uh-huh. Did you get my coffee?”

“Yes.”

“Did they make it right?”

“They should have, you work there after all.”

“Hm, fair.”

She landed with a thud from her leap off the top of the piano, quickly disappearing from the pit with an echo of footsteps. One of the stage doors opened behind Catarina, and she quickly stood to face whoever had come to join her above the rest of them. It was then that she noticed the practice piano to her right, the wooden top covered in sheet music and a cracking leather bag collapsed against the side. The cough behind her finally turned her head.

“Sorry, I-“

The warmest set of eyes she’d ever seen stopped her words on her tongue, her mouth suddenly going dry and stopping the stutter that was sure to follow. In front of her stood what she could only assume was an angel on earth, hair like fire sticking out in all directions above the raised collar of his coat. Old wool barely covered a worn stiped sweater, the pointed tips of a dark shirt peeking out from the collar. He smiled at her like she was the only person in the room, but something told her he smiled at lots of people like that. He was beautiful, and- Oh god, did he have dimples? This wasn’t fair, he had to be married or twice her age. If he wasn’t nothing was going to stop her from falling helplessly in love with him. The latter might not have stopped her anyway.

It took her a few moments to feel the blush that was fanning across her chest and creeping up her neck. Maybe she shouldn’t have worn such a low cut shirt. She realized that she should probably stop staring at him and say something but, she couldn’t.

He was like nothing she’d ever known before.

“Hello there.”

She blinked when he spoke first, forcing herself out of what she assumed was an awful display of girlishness. Hand outstretched towards his, she took a step forward and smiled the best she could. Every fiber of her being turned to jelly when his skin met hers, nothing could stop her from choking on her next words.

“Sorry, I’m Catarina, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Antonio Vivaldi, and the pleasure is all mine, I assure you.”

“Stop flirting.”

They both turned to look at Goldoni and the girl, who Catarina now assumed must either be his assistant director or the stage manager. The two were leaning against the wall of the pit, her fingers wrapped around a small paper cup that she held close to her lips and his flipping through papers absentmindedly. Catarina looked between the three of them for a moment, watching as the girl and the man on stage with her seem to have an entire conversation with their eyes alone. Goldoni finally cleared his throat, standing up straight and clasping his hands together with a loud “smack” that echoed through the theater.

“So! Let’s get started, shall we?”

On cue, Vivaldi crossed the stage in a few steps, setting his cup on top of the piano and shrugging out of his jacket. He towered over Catarina as he passed, and she made a note to wear heels next time so she wouldn’t shake as much looking up at him. That was, if there was a next time.

God, she hoped there was a next time.


	3. Chapter 3

“Ready whenever you are.”

“Because that statement really helps the pressure.”

She had been shuffling through her sheet music for a couple of minutes, looking for what she thought she as going to use as her audition song. But that had been when she was one of many girls, now it was just her. Alone. In a room with the director, the stage manager, and the most attractive man she’d crossed paths with in her life that just happened to be the musical director.

Maybe she needed to do something different, now they wouldn’t have heard nineteen girls all do the same two Sophie songs over and over. But should she branch out into other songs or stick to the role she wished for? This was taking forever, she was embarrassing herself.

Suddenly, she had an idea.

The hard heels of her boots tapped against the stage as she crossed it, engrossed in reading her sheet music and aggressively trying to ignore Vivaldi watching her with those deep eyes of his. Slowly she settled standing by his side, hearing the bench creak as he scooted aside and waited for whatever she was going to do next.

Even she didn’t know what she was going to do next. Realizing her fingers were absentmindedly brushing the keys, she experimentally pressed one. Finally she decided, gently placing her music down and playing a familiar melody as soft as her voice when it began.

_“I was cheated by you…and I think you know when.”_

She could hear the shuffling next to her, watching thin fingers pick up her discarded sheet music and glance over her doodled margins.  It all seemed deathly silent to her, she prayed she didn’t mess up playing out of nervousness.

_“So I’ve made up mind, it must come to an end.”_

A soft cough cleared her throat, chancing a glance at the man next to her to find those eyes that tilted at the corners watching her. She sent a soft smile his way, watching him turn is head to glance at the direction of Goldoni in the front row.

_“Look at me now, will I ever learn? I don’t know how, but I suddenly lose control…”_

Her fingers slid across the keys, she almost didn’t notice the other pair that had placed themselves next to hers until it was almost too late. Her skin brushed his, widening her eyes before glancing at him as her playing hesitated.

_“There’s a fire within my soul…”_

With a wide grin he took over her playing for her, one soft press from her fingers fading into the melody that he began. His smile was contagious, dark lips breaking into a grin as she stepped away from the piano as her soul fell into the music. She could faintly hear the thud of the other girl thudding out rhythm that came next.

“ _Just one look and I can hear a bell ring.”_

Each step took her behind the piano, crossing towards her place in center stage. At some point she had locked eyes with Vivaldi, and now she didn’t think she could ever look away, even if she would have to eventually.

_“One more look and I forget everything.”_

It took all her will to stop staring into those eyes, turning to face the rows of seats in front of her with a stomp of her boot. She couldn’t look at Goldoni, she was too nervous. Instead she threw all that into the back of the room, making sure her will to get what she wanted beat it there.

_“Mamma mia, here I go again. My, my, how can I resist ya?”_

Catarina couldn’t help but laugh when she chanced a look at the front row and caught the girl mouthing along with her, her heart skipping a beat when a deep laugh from her side reached her ears over the music.

_“Mamma mia, does it show again? Just how much I missed ya?”_

With a breath she took a few confident steps towards the edge of the stage, feeling a million feet tall over the orchestra pit but too busy to be afraid now. The sudden yell and clapping surged her forward, pushing with all her few years of sporadic training.

_“Yes I’ve been broken hearted, blue since the day we parted! Why, why did I ever let you go?”_

The round of laughter that followed her dancing lightened her heart, giving her a chance look at Goldoni that she hoped she wouldn’t regret. His brow was raised, leaning into the girl’s ear from the seat behind her with a smile. The girl caught her eye with a wink, sticking out her tongue. Catarina could barely get through the last line before falling into a fit of giggles.

_“Mamma mia, now I really know. My, my, I could never let you go.”_

 The applause that followed her laughing fit turned her face red, her hands covering her cheeks before waving them for it to stop. A whistle from Goldoni got him a smack in the arm with the heavy script the girl held in her lap, sending both Catarina and Vivaldi into another laughing fit. Finally, Catarina could speak again.

“Alright, you have to let me do another one. That was a warm up.”

“You’re kidding, that was fantastic!”

She couldn’t help but blush a little more, taking Goldoni leaning on the seat in front of him as a go ahead and once again shuffling through her sheet music before placing a page in front of Vivaldi with a small smile.

“Maestro?”

Her soft plea raised his brow, those damned eyes turning up at the corners as her smiled softly. Not straying far from the piano she couldn’t take her eyes from him, waiting for his fingers to roll against he ivory patiently. She almost sighed in relief when he did, watching her from under long lashes as he played.

_“I'm nothing special, in fact I'm a bit of a bore…”_

_“If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before…”_

_“But I’ve got a talent, a wonderful thing. Cause everyone listens when I start to sing!”_

Eyes met as she sang, her hands placing themselves gently against the wooden piano top as she watched him glance from the music, to his hands, to her. To her no-one else existed in the room anymore, just her and this angel of a man that was playing for her a song she had sung too many times.

_“So I say, thank you for the music. The songs I’m singing…”_

_“Thanks, for all the joy they’re bringing.”_

_“Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty. What would life be?”_

_“Without a song, or a dance what are we?”_

_“So I say, thank you for the music…for giving it to me.”_

Catarina felt herself moving, feet shuffling against the stage as she stepped around the corner of the piano. She was closer to the front of the stage, closer to him, and he was staring at her. God did she look okay? Had her lipstick smudged, was her hair a mess, what there something in her teeth? He didn’t seem to see anything wrong, that gentle smile was still there, reaching up to those dark eyes. They made her heart flutter, even more so when they grew warmer when he chuckled as she took the small steps of a dance. With a breath she glanced at his hands, watching them flow against the keys.

_“But I've often wondered, how did it all start?”_

_“Who found out that nothing can capture a heart, like a melody can?”_

_“Well, whoever it was, I'm a fan.”_

Following dark sleeves upward, she found his eyes again. They quickly darted up to meet hers, and for a moment she wondered where they had been before, but she was too preoccupied now to think about it. With slow steps she finally pulled herself from the piano, moving to where she felt was true center stage as she locked eyes with Goldoni. He was now no longer sitting, instead standing in the row with his arms braced on the seat the girl was placed in, brow raised in interest. Catarina tried to not let her breathing faulter as her eyes fell closed.

_“I've been so lucky, I am the girl with golden hair.”_

_“I wanna sing it out to everybody…”_

_“What a joy, what a life, what a chance!”_

In the pause she peeked through her lashes, tilting her chin back down to look between the three as she continued. She tried to not read too hard into their expressions, finally once again locking eyes with Antonio Vivaldi as he played. The warmth in his eyes gave her hope.

_“So I say thank you for the music…for giving it to me.”_

God, did she hope.


	4. Chapter 4

They had promised that the following night the cast list would be posted and they would call anyone who hadn’t signed it the next morning. Catarina had walked from her campus to the theater and back so many times that day that it had caused her boots to rub blisters on the back of her heels despite the socks bunched around her ankles. Now that all her classes were done for the day and she had no work due to it being Friday evening, she had been pacing up and down the street in front of the theater for an hour. Most of the stores that Catarina had sought refuge in between frantic checks of the announcements board had closed for the night, the sun gone behind the horizon. With a sigh she ducked into the coffee shop a couple of blocks away, giving it another hour before she would check again.

Ordering a tea before securing her spot by the window, it took only a few minutes for her name to be called. She was too engrossed in her phone, distracting herself from her nerves with Instagram to notice who was behind the counter before it was too late.

“Hey.”

Looking up she came face to face with the girl from the auditions, dark eyes peering over the top of thick rimmed glasses from behind the espresso machine.  Glancing at her name tag, she could barely read the scrawl of the curled letters, finally having a proper thing to call her. The dark apron covering the black dress she wore under it, who’s hem probably not within dress code but with black tights covering her legs no one had probably noticed, had pins covering the top corners that shown when she moved to place cups on the counter before yelling out the corresponding name. Catarina was too shocked to think her next question through.

“What are you doing here?”

“Working.”

Luckily she smiled, Catarina didn’t look like a total idiot. She hoped she didn’t at least.

“I can see that, I didn’t know you worked here.”

“For a while now, it’s not like helping out at the theater pays all that well. Especially when it’s with Goldoni.”

Chewing on her lip, Catarina ran her thumb over the edge of her cup for a moment while she thought. She didn’t want to seem too forward, but if anyone was going to now about the cast list aside from Goldoni himself it was going to be her. Luckily she didn’t have to ask.

“So…”

“Did you check the cast list?”

“Oh, it’s not out yet.”

“What? Fuck, he told me earlier that he was going to finish it and post it before I got off work.”

“I’ve been pacing the theater for hours…”

Why did she say that? Luckily the girl, Kay, laughed through her obvious frustration, looking around before pulling her phone out of her pocket and pressing it against her shoulder with an awkward turn of her head. Catarina watched her as she sipped her drink, waiting quietly for the call to be picked up. She could barley hear the cheerful voice from over the squeal of steaming milk. The girl’s smile quickly turned to a scowl, speaking casually but getting right to the point.

“What the hell have you been doing for the past five hours?”

Catarina could hear Goldoni on the other end when she moved to set another drink on the counter, unable to make out his words but recognizing the easy-going tone. Kay covered the phone to call a name before holding it back to her ear and moving on to her work.

“Sounds like you’ve had a lovely time. Why the _fuck_ is the cast list not up yet?”

“No I won’t come by and get it, you have legs.”

“Is taking a single train to the theater really that hard?”

“It’s not that bad, I live here too you know.”

“Fine, we close in an hour.”

“Shut up.”

With a sigh she hung up the call, slipping her phone back into the pocket of her apron and looking at Catarina with a smile. It took her a moment to call out the two drinks she had finished during the phone call, her hands stained with different powers and syrups folding on top of the bar as she leaned against it.

“Give him twenty minutes, he was leaving when I hung up.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem, I should be used to babysitting.”

Catarina laughed, loudly, causing some older customers near by to send her chilling glares as they grabbed their coffee. Now that she was here, she felt strange leaving the conversation. The girl had gone back to leisurely making drinks, bobbing gently to the music playing in the cafe. Clearing her throat and rolling dark lips together, Catarina continued to pester her.

“How long have you been working with him?”

“With Goldoni? This is my third show, I filmed one a few years ago for a senior project and the next year they asked me back to take promotional stuff and run the social media pages. Goldoni needed a stage manager this time around and he knew I tend to take control of anything I’m a part of, so I got the job.”

“Now that sounds like a lucky break.”

“It’s alright, I guess.”

Her smile was soft, only fading when another barista tapped her shoulder and pulled her from the bar. With a nod and the shared knowledge that she was going on break, Catarina re-took her spot by the window and opened her laptop to finish some homework before the weekend. Twenty minutes went by, Kay scurrying past with a cup in hand to slide a cookie next to her laptop before disappearing into the back again sometime before Catarina began to pack up again to rush out the door.

Her feet pounded against the pavement as fast as she could go without sprinting, barely making it across crosswalks before they turned and quickly rounding the corner to find the familiar theater announcement board. The once empty space was now occupied, a single pin holding a sheet of paper with the familiar title font stamped across the top. She barely took the time to scan the other names, purple nails drawing down the list until she found the name she had been hoping for all week. Drawing her finger across the page to the column of corresponding actors, her stomach leapt into her throat.

**_Sophie                  Catarina Russo_ **

Catarina couldn’t help it; the soles of her feet left the ground as she threw herself into the air with a squeal. The few seconds of her outburst felt like hours, her breath coming quickly as she calmed down and looked around in embarrassment. Quickly she dug into her bag for a pen, signing her name with a flourish and taking a photo of the achievement for good measure. Her giggles didn’t stop as she stared at it, the night sky fully realized and the streetlights flickering around her. It must have been forever that she stood there, memorizing every letter of the page and taking note of the first rehearsal time posted at the bottom.

Finally she stepped away, pulling her jacket closer around her as she headed towards the nearest store for self-congratulatory ice cream and wine. She was barely around the corner when a loud voice from the other side of the street nearly took her out of her skin, her head whipping around to find the source of the noise. Swallowed by a denim jacket but waving happily, Kay stood near the entrance to the underground across the street. Catarina couldn’t do anything but laugh, waving back with a nod to Goldoni beside her as they began to disappear into the tunnels with one last yell as leather boots dangerously climbed back up the moving staircase.

“Congratulations!”


	5. Chapter 5

Full of takeout and ice cream, the slightly tipsy Catarina had been laying in bed watching movies for hours. It had started with the film version of her latest role for research purposes, but it quickly devolved into a musical excursion of her DVD collection. Halfway through Hairspray she made the mistake of checking her phone, shifting through notifications. One caught her eye, her finger hovering over the rainbow icon before opening the application. She sat up in her bed, blankets pooling around her waist and the used spoon clattering to the floor.

The social media for the production had followed her on Instagram, she suspected who was to blame for it. There were only four photos on the account. One was the design for the promotional posters for auditions, the next a slightly blurred photo of Goldoni at his desk over the top of what she guessed were Kay’s boots, the fourth a photographed copy of the cast list which she had been tagged in. The third photo had stopped her. Grouped together in front of a stage full or hopeful actors, Kay stood next to Goldoni, her tongue out with a grin as he smiled beside her. Crouching next to them to fit in the photo with warm eyes crinkled at the corners and a soft smile, was Vivaldi.

She really tried to not click on his tag, she really did. But she couldn’t help herself, those eyes and the unbuttoned collar made it so hard to resist. He didn’t have many photos. Most of them were of sheet music, wine glasses, everyday life things, some were of Goldoni being ridiculous with a witty caption or of a rehearsal of some sort. The most recent photo was of him, posted a few hours ago and taken by someone else from down a bar. Her heart sunk, thinking it was a date until she clicked the photo and saw Goldoni’s elbow in the corner.

He was beautiful, messy hair and goofy smile contrasting against the dark t-shirt he wore under a leather jacket. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was her own boldness, but she quickly liked the photo and bookmarked it for good measure before moving onto the tagged photos. By the time she had finished utterly stalking his account, the title screen of the DVD was looping for the fifth time. Her feet met cold flooring as she changed the discs, leaving her room to toss her dishes into the shared kitchen before returning to the warm comfort of her bed.

It was noon when she woke up the following Sunday, sleep tousled curls sticking out in all directions. Quietly padding to the bathroom she showered and brushed her teeth, smearing pictures into the foggy mirror before padding back to her room with a towel wrapped around her. She was still worn out from the night before, girls night with her roommates at a local club in which she was bought many drinks in celebration. Catarina had begged them to let her go home early, knowing she had a read through Sunday afternoon, but it was no use. The girls were a force to be reckoned with when they were together, and they had stumbled into the apartment in the early hours of the morning. Kicking her discarded clothes under her bed and taking her hair down from it’s place piled on the top of her head to stay dry, she grabbed her phone off the charger to check notifications.

And promptly dropped it.

Antonio Vivaldi had liked her two most recent photos. He had looked at her account.

Quickly scrambling to watch back her story and check the views, she felt her heart leap into her throat. He had watched ever stupid moment she recorded from the night before, from the group photos, to the videos of her friends singing, to the drunk selfies that showed far too much of her cleavage from the way home. He had seen all of it.

She had to quit the play, she couldn’t face him ever again.

Cursing herself for being stupid, she began the hour long battle that was getting ready for the day. Pulling a sweater over her tank top she ran out the door with one boot still untied, heading for the theater with butterflies in her stomach.

She was late. How was she always late? It was a Sunday for gods sake, why where there so many people on the street? Taking off into the street and almost rolling her ankle in the process, she barely made it into the theater in time. Her heels clicking as she walked down the hallway, she found the rest of the cast spread across the front few rows. Luckily more people had come in behind her, and she didn’t see Goldoni anywhere. Once again, Kay was balancing on the edge of the stage, feet hanging into the depth of the orchestra pit as she flipped through papers. A tray of coffee cups sat beside her., three cups filling it and one stained with black lipstick sitting next to her. She looked up when Catarina set her bag down in the front row, smiling softly before mouthing one word at her and returning to her papers.

“Late.”

Catarina scanned the room as she waited, sitting down and flipping through her phone absentmindedly. A few girls clustered in groups, most of the slightly older actors busied themselves with books or other things while keeping to themselves. It only took a few minutes of awkward fiddling until the curtain rustled and Goldoni walked onto the stage, Vivaldi not far behind him. Taking a seat next to Kay, he was immediately handed a paper cup and she was passed a stack of paper booklets. Catarina tried not to stare at Vivaldi, she really did. But she couldn’t help it. Even when she was distracted from him by the boots that pounded across the floor as Kay left the stage and entered the theater from the side door, she couldn’t help it.

Today was a less professional day it seemed, ripped dark jeans tucked into thick boots and a leather jacket zipped up over a striped shirt. Catarina willed herself to stop watching him talk with Goldoni, smiling with his hands shoved into his pockets and those damn dimples denting his cheeks. Even when Kay handed her a script with her role written in curving handwriting at the top and a sheet outlining the rehearsal schedule she didn’t look away, eventually getting herself into trouble when he glanced up at her and met her eye. She could feel herself turn red, unable to break his gaze or do anything for far too many moments. He didn’t look away either until finally, she got herself to smile and look away. Opening her script in feigned interest she waited before looking up again, luckily finding him looking pale as he glanced towards the back of the room. Catarina didn’t get a chance to turn to see what he was looking at before Goldoni’s voice filled the room, impressively bouncing off the back walls.

She barely listened to what he was saying, general introductions most likely, she was distracted by Vivaldi taking the remaining coffee tray from Kay and walking off stage with a smile in her direction. Chewing on her lip she felt herself heat up, only beginning to pay attention when the people around her began to politely clap as Goldoni listed the actors for the main roles. Quickly she joined them, not wanting to seem rude. When Goldoni got to her she stood like the rest had, holding her script to her chest and waving slightly before sinking back into her seat. As soon as the pleasantries were over they went straight into the first read through, everyone moving to the first two rows in a surge of movement.

Catarina straightened her things, watching Goldoni and Kay from under her eyelashes and trying not to laugh when she shoved a boot into his side for what seemed like him attempting to look under her skirt as she tried to sit down. The seats next to her were suddenly occupied, her head turning to look at the two girls who had taken spots on either side of her. The one on her left straightened round glasses before offering a hand in her direction.

“Clara, nice to meet you. I’m cast as Ali.”

“And I’m Loni, I’m the other one.”

“Her name is Lisa.”

“Oh, right.”

Turning to the softer sounding of the two after she finished shaking the other girls hand, she couldn’t help but smile at her floral dress and bright lipstick. Clara was sifting through her script, pony tail whipping behind her as she turned to look around them.

“Catarina, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Do you go to the school down the road?”

“Yes, do you?”

“No, we’re part of the choir here so we got lucky. We go to the one across town.”

“I’m the lucky one, they never let students have leads.”

“Cause they’re scared you’ll be better than the regulars like her.”

Clara nodded behind them as she dropped her voice into a whisper, all three girls muffling their giggling. Catarina didn’t have to turn around to know who she was talking about, the known “prima donna” of the theater was seated two rows behind them. She wasn’t bad, Catarina had seen every show she’d been in for the past few years, but she was notoriously hard to work with. After a second glance at the cast list, Catarina had realized that the role of Donna had been occupied by her, to no-one’s surprise. She was about to chance a glance behind her, hoping to offer a smile if she was caught when Loni sighed beside her.

“Oh god, he’s back.”

Equally dark eyes met as Catarina turned, ever nerve bristling and her mouth going dry when she realized whose eyes she had met. Vivaldi was leaning against the border of stage left, cup lazily gripped by his side and his leather jacket folded over one arm. Licking her lips to fight the dryness she forced herself to look away, shrugging off her jacket and pushing up the sleeves of her sweater. She didn’t mean to say her next works out loud.

“May the lord bless that shirt for shrinking in the wash.”

Clara crumpled into laughter next to her, snorting into her sleeve as she tried to muffle her outburst while Catarina turned bright red. Loni gaped at her before crumpling into a fit of giggles. She was almost incomprehensible through her quick breaths.

“At least we know you agree!”

“Oh, I do, I almost died when he followed me on Instagram.”

“He did!?”

“Ladies!”

All three of them froze, slowly looking up to find Goldoni watching them with a raised brow. Catarina wanted to sink into her seat and die when she saw Vivaldi doing the same. She hoped he hadn’t heard, she didn’t think he could, but she crossed herself mentally to make sure. The room was dead silent now, and it probably had been long before they had been called on. Beside her, Loni muttered a soft apology before sinking into her chair. It was too long a pause before he spoke again, smiling slightly and glancing at the girl beside him before speaking again.

“Can we begin?”


	6. Chapter 6

The read through was straightforward, none of the songs were included and it was generally to get a feel for the other actors. During the bits where she wasn’t involved, Catarina had swapped phone numbers and social media with Loni and Clara, which started a private group message between the three of them to solely talk about Vivaldi. He had somehow found his way to balancing on the edge of the stage beside Kay, one long leg dangling next to hers while his arm rested on the other, bent behind her. This had a prompted a deep conversation.

Loni: Do you think they’re…. ☹

Clara: I’m pretty sure she’s with Goldoni.

Catarina: I don’t think she’s with anyone, Vivaldi had a date the day I auditioned, and Goldoni is known for…

Clara: Getting around?

Catarina: That.

Clara: They sure seem like they’re something.

Loni: Which one?

Clara: Both.

Catarina: I think they just all flirt.

Loni: God I wish he’d flirt with me.

Catarina: I’ll fight you for him.

Giggling into her sleeve, Catarina glanced at Vivaldi. He was leaning over Kay’s shoulder to read what she guessed where her script notes, so close that they would probably bump noses if she turned her head. He only turned when Goldoni sprung to pace the stage, listening to the current scene being read and mumbling to himself. Distracted by her own turn to read, Catarina took her eyes from the stage. When it was all over, they were excused until the next rehearsal.

Finally glancing up from her script, Catarina watched Vivaldi joke with Goldoni, a wide smile breaking out across his face and his shoulders shaking with laughter. Slowly she stood, planning to lag behind after the rest of them with a farewell to her new friends and a promise to meet up before they had to come to the theater again. Slipping on her jacket and pulling her hair from the collar, she turned to the stage as she slipped her bag over her shoulder. Goldoni was crouched next to Kay, reading over her notes and talking in hushed tones with a smile, and VIivaldi…

Vivaldi as looking at her.

Again.

A moment of boldness overtook her, moving her feet to press her toes against the wall of the orchestra pit and smiling up at him. Kay glanced at her with a small smile, leaning into his ear and muttering something before grasping Goldoni’s hand and pulling herself to her feet. Vivaldi looked at Catarina for a few moments, a smile slowly turning at the corner of his lips. She looked to Kay, her stomach fluttering as she chickened out on her witty comment to Vivaldi. Maybe after a while she would be able to look at him and not feel like her stomach was filled with wild birds, but she doubted it. Kay turned from shrugging on her jacket, raising an eyebrow at her question.

“Hey, do you work tomorrow?”

“No, I’m mostly unattached.”

“I was thinking of going out with Loni and Clara tomorrow night, do you want to come?”

“I don’t know, would it be terribly unprofessional of me to hang out with the actors outside of the theater?”

She shot a look dripping with meaning that Catarina didn’t understand at Goldoni, but she knew it must have been a low blow by the way he cleared his throat and stumbled of his response. Vivaldi muffled his laughter in a cough, covering his face with his hands while he tried to retain composure. Kay turned to look at him.

“Wouldn’t you say so, Antonio?”

He turned red. Antonio Vivaldi turned bright red as he shot he the meanest glare Catarina thought he could probably muster with those eyes. From ear to ear his skin had turned pink, quickly standing and shrugging back into his jacket. He glanced again around the room before gently shoving a finger into Kay’s side and sending her into a fit of giggles. Turning back to her, Catarina had to keep herself from melting into he floor when he smiled at her, an almost devious glint in his eye.

“Catarina, I look forward to seeing you at rehearsal.”

“I’ll keep my hands off your piano this time, I promise.”

“Wandering hands are always welcome.”

“I’m a little out of a practice.”

“I’d be happy to help with your technique.”

She couldn’t help but giggle, her lip caught between her teeth as they hung in a moment of silence. Were they flirting? She hadn’t ever been very good at it, or she assumed she hadn’t. Catarina had never really dated anyone or wanted to for that matter. No one had ever caught her attention before, not until now. She wondered how that reflected on her as a person, finding a man many years older than her as attractive as she did. Her thoughts were interrupted when he spoke again.

“Have a good night.”

“Thank you.”


	7. Chapter 7

“They’re dating.”

“They are not!”

“They’ve got to be, they never have more than a few inches between each other.”

“Loni, they are not dating. That would be completely unprofessional.”

“I swear to god I saw them basically making out backstage before auditions.”

The three girls had shoved themselves in front of the small mirror in the girls bathroom of Catarina’s favorite karaoke bar. It was quiet tonight, the regular college kids milling about and some of the younger people of the city dropping by after work. It was “Turn Back Time”, Monday’s theme for the song choices offered and a hint to try and get attendants to dress in vintage dress. They had arrived a little earlier than needed, Kay texting Catarina about being called into work for a short shift but still being able to make it, though a little later than intended. The information had spiked a conversation.

“I highly doubt it.”

“Clara, why would I lie about this?”

“Girls! Why don’t we just ask her?”

Catarina was done listening to their arguing about the state of relationships in their production crew, finishing reapplying her lipstick and making sure her flowers perched around her head were straight. Stepping away from the mirror she quickly maneuvered her way out of the tiny bathroom and back to her place at the bar, fringe of her sleeves swinging by her hips and brushing the exposed skin of her thighs. Her phone rang in the pocket of her jacket, the guitar of her ringtone barely audible over the two men in business suits belting out a rendition of “Mr. Sandman”. She was quick to answer.

“Hello?”

“I’m on my way, I’m going to warn you in advance, we might get unexpected visitors.

“What do you mean?”

 “Just, be prepared. I’m walking in.”

The call ended before Catarina could say anything more, turning to watch the door swing shut as Kay made her way through the slowly growing crowd as it got later into the evening, hands pressed together in front of her like a spearhead as she moved. She beat Loni and Clara to the bar, hopping up onto a stool and immediately ordering a drink before turning to smile at them. A familiar leather jacket hung off her shoulders over a ruffled black dress with a white button up underneath. Doc Martens scuffed against the floor as her feet barely touched it, black lips closing around the straw that she placed into her drink before she spoke.

“Whats up?”

It wasn’t long before they were all thoroughly buzzed, Clara’s hair going up into the scrunchie she wore around her wrist. Cati was half way through her second drink when Loni started their rounds of joining karaoke, laughing when Kay nearly knocked the smaller girl over from resisting her pulling her towards the stage. With looser lips than Catarina had heard from Clara since she’d met her, halfway through Loni’s third song she turned abruptly to Kay, who had been halfway in her phone for the last thirty minutes with her third drink’s straw stuck between her lips.

“Are you sleeping with Carlo Goldoni?”

She didn’t miss a beat in answering, barely looking up from her phone and letting her straw swing around the curved rim.

“No.”

“Are you sleeping with the music director?”

“….No.”

“Thank god...”

Catarina’s hand slapped over her mouth with a resounding clap, instantly pulling it away to gawk at the dark maroon that now stained her hand. Both sets of eyes turned to her, a dark brow raised over thick glasses while bright blue eyes were wide behind round rims. Kay spoke first, Catarina’s already flushing cheeks growing brighter by the second.

“You like him.”

“I do.”

“You can’t lie when you’re drunk.”

“I can’t.”

With that, the dark-haired girl broke out in a fit of giggles, collapsing in on herself and shaking with laughter. With a tap of her fingers on the counter she ordered a round of shots for everyone, and quickly moving the group to a table near the small stage with both drinks in hand. She was surprisingly steady for girl nearly three hard drinks in, falling into the booth almost gracefully and tugging her skirt down around torn tights with a smile. Loni joined them shortly after, sliding in next to Clara and choking dramatically on the liquor when they all downed the glasses that had been bought for them. She had barely cleared her throat before jumping to into what she wanted to know.

“Are you and Carlo Godoni a thing?”

“Loni, we’ve already asked her.” Clara sighed, watching a younger girl trying to flirt with another at the bar with her lulled back against the booth seats.

“Okay, but what did you ask?”

“If she’s sleeping with him.”

“Okay, that’s not what I asked.”

Sighing and feeling herself wobble as she stood, Catarina left the conversation and went to look through the book of songs for the evening. Nothing produced later than the very early 90’s and songs dating back to the late 20’s filled the book, the slick pages sliding against her fingers. Coming up with what her drunk brain thought was a wonderful idea, she scrawled down on the signup sheet and went back to her friends. It was only a few moments, but the conversation had leaped into unknown territory, Catarina scrolling through her phone and posting a few photos she had already taken. Kay slamming her cup down on the table, obviously harder than she anticipated by her own flinch, and her exclamation drew her attention.

“Fuck, why are you here?”

“I love it when you’re happy to see me.”


	8. Chapter 8

The entire table turned to Carlo Goldoni leaning against the back of the booth, arms crossed in front of his chest and a very flowery button up peeking over the top of his jacket. The three cast members all straightened immediately, attempting to sober up quickly in front of their director. He only chuckled, waving a hand at the three of him with a smile. Kay didn’t let up on him for long.

“I’m not at work, calm down.”

“Good, so go home.”

“Is that anyway to talk to your ride home?”

“No, and luckily that’s not you.”

“We’re all going to need a designated driver after this.” Catarina chimed in, hip resting against the booths side and her hands busy retying her band t-shirt to sit above the waistband of her leather skirt. Her head raised when she heard her name, brow raising in confusion as she shot an accusatory look towards Loni before making her way toward the stage to see what her friends had gotten her into.

Stepping onto the stage and taking the mic that was handed to her, she barely had time to check what she was exactly singing before her entire world froze. Glancing back at the table had been a bad decision, her eyes missing the cheery glazed expressions of her friends and instead settling on unfazed warmth that stared back into her soul. She hadn’t expected Antonio Vivaldi to be sitting where Kay was mere seconds ago. Thanking God for the long intro to her song, she swallowed hard and forced herself to look away. Catching what she was supposed to be singing as it rolled across the top of the screen she cursed Loni, it was difficult to sing and she was already blurring around the edges from the alcohol.

A glance back was daring, but she could blame the burning in her cheeks on the drinks and stage lights if it came to it. Vivaldi was still looking at her, head tilted in mild interest towards what looked like a soft argument between Carlo and Kay. Catching her eye again, he smiled warmly with a  wink, and Catarina’s stomach flipping was numbed by the calm confidence that hit her just in time.

God, why did Loni think she could keep up with Whitney Houston?

She was too tipsy to care really, giving up on being nervous after a line or two and taking to swaying along instead. Giggling into the microphone as she spied Loni singing along with her, bouncing in her seat next to Clara who rolled her eyes. Soon enough it was over in what felt like seconds, Catarina bouncing off the stage and back over to her friends.

“Signorina”

“Maestro.” Cati giggled back, amused at the formality being used with her. Vivaldi smiled, brow raised, taking her hand in his and pressing it to his lips gently. The gasp couldn’t be held back, her chest swelling and shaking as she released the breath while fired burned under her skin. She thought she would die right then.

“It’s nice to see you outside of the theater.”

“Oh? Is there a difference?”

“In you? Not really.”

“He doesn’t have to be a professional, is what he’s saying.”

Both of them turned to Kay, who had somehow slipped her way up the booth to sit on the back of it with Goldoni’s shoulder pressed into her lower back. Cati realized she was no longer wrapped in the leather jacket she came in, which was now laid across Vivaldi’s lap, and instead was curled inside the wool of Carlo Goldoni’s jacket. Her weight was visibly being held up by him, one of her arms thrown over his shoulder and his hand visibly wrapped around her waist. Clara’s eyebrows shot to her hairline when she turned to look up at them, having been too engrossed in giggling over Loni singing Cyndi Lauper on stage to notice their predicament before.

“Should I re-state my question from earlier?”

Kay sent a boot into her arm, waving Goldoni’s questioning off before twisting around the top of the booth and dropping down on the other side. Heading towards the bar and followed quickly by their director, Catarina was suddenly stuck without her buffer between her and Vivaldi. Instantly her stomach began to flutter, watching him slowly stand and tower over her before gesturing towards the booth. With not much space to move past him, she felt her backside barely brush against his hip as she sat down. Quickly he followed after her, trapping her between Clara and himself with their thighs a hairs breath away.

A look to Clara confirmed her suspicions, her cheeks flushed as his arm laid across the seat behind her and that smile made her heart hammer in her chest.

Antonio Vivaldi was flirting with her.

 

The group had settled into idle chatter about music, Vivaldi’s brow raising when Catarina gracefully clambered over him to sing early 90’s punk sparking the conversation. How she had ended up completely turned into him with his jacket over her lap, her calve idly brushing against knee and her head a hairs breath laying against his shoulder was beyond her. She was definitely tipsy, and it was definitely making her attraction to him _much_ worse. His warmth had her leaning into him, almost pulling her into his lap as she stared at perfect lips and teeth as he spoke. She was far away, lost in idly wondering what those lips would feel like against hers, her voice dreamy when she hummed in response to Clara.

“Cati.”

“Uh-huh?”

Vivaldi’s chuckle caused her snap to out of her daze, head snapping to look at Clara; who was giggling into her drink. Feeling her face turn red she quickly downed the rest of her drink to hide her embarrassment. It didn’t work.

“Signora, I believe you were staring at me.”

“Yeah, you’re gorgeous.”

To her glee, he turned pink, dark eyes widening in surprise as a blush spread from his nose to the tips of his ears. God, he was _cute._ It was everything she could do to fight the urge to kiss him right then, she thanked the heavens that her attention was drawn away from him by the slightly slurred calm voice that rose over the bars chatter.

“You really have no filter when you’re drunk, huh?”

“Neither do you, Cara.”

“No one asked you.”

She was vaguely aware of Vivaldi’s arm sliding down her back as she shifted, the two of them turning to look at the returned additions to their group. Catarina’s brows shot upward, mouth falling open in shock at Carlo Goldoni’s arms wrapped around her new friend. His jacket had been returned to him, dark fabric blending with the ruffles of Kay’s dress as his hands pressed dangerously low into the small of her back. Kay’s own arm has disappeared into the open front of his jacket, a glass of water clutched in her other hand. The black that had covered her lips had faded into patchy grey and soft pink.

 Vivaldi seemed unphased, laughing through his comment on their predicament

“Aren’t you a cute couple?”

 “You could say the same for yourself.”

Clearing his throat, Vivaldi shifted in his chair, glancing sheepishly towards Catarina. She noticed the smirk Kay and Carlo shared, but was quickly distracted when Loni suddenly squealed besides them. The entire table turned towards the bubbly girl giggling into the Cosmopolitan. questions hanging in the air. Kay was the next to catch on to the secret joke, gasping loudly before shamelessly shimmying slightly to the beat the played over the speakers and mouthing the words that were being sung on stage. Loni pointed upward, beaming widely at Cati as the tanned girl paused to listen.

“It’s ABBA!”

“Oh, well that’s interesting.” Goldoni mused over Kay’s singing next to him, swaying with her slight dancing easily. Catarina smiled, locking eyes with Vivaldi next to her for a moment before she noticed the movement behind them. She opened her mouth before she could stop the words from coming.

“Dance with me.”

“Scusi?”

Now that she had done it, she wanted to die inside, instantly regretting what was probably going to be an embarrassing let down. Pushing through her nerves, she shifted to brace a knee on the booth, half standing above him. Vivaldi’s eyes followed her, distracting her momentarily with the curve of his jaw as he looked up to her.

“C’mon. Dance with me. Please?”

Holding her hand out, palm up, she prayed he would take it. She watched him follow her eyes towards the small dance floor splatted with couples before staring into her open palm like he could see her soul in the divots. The moment of silence that passed between them was painful, the small breath that escaped from him as she chewed her lip between her teeth nearly knocked her back into her seat. It was the weight of his palm in hers that kept her balanced.

“Who could say no?”


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning she took her time getting up, staring at the light filtering through the window as memories from the last night came flooding back to her. She remembered the dancing, still feeling the memory of his hands resting low on her hips as the sheets slid off from around her body, toes digging into the soft plush of her bedroom rug. It was cold, the fan in her room spinning at full blast and sending goosebumps down her arms. Kicking last nights clothes towards the hamper, she slid on the sweater from her desk chair, its weight reminding her of the jacket she wore across her shoulders on the way home. She tugged a pair of shorts over her hips before heading down the hallway to the bathroom, vaguely aware of the clatter from the kitchen that faded into silence as the door closed behind her.

She remembered being walked home, sitting with her legs across his lap in the underground while they waited the extra minutes for the night line to arrive. Dropping her keys in front of her door, awkwardly asking for him to unzip her dress, curling up in be- Oh god.

He had stayed with her, she remembered curling up next to him. Covers to her chin like a dumbass as they finished whatever movie she had been idly watching, head resting against his shoulder until she passed out. She was never going to live that down.

Quickly splashing water on her face, her face was pressed into her towel when the humming caught her attention.

Fuck.

He was still here. Why was he still here?

Quietly she slunk down the hallway, cursing softly when she hit the squeaky bit in front of the closet before sliding around the corner to the living area. There was coffee sitting on the table, curling steam like a movie still against the black wooden surface. The blankets on her couch were rustled, the pillows tossed into the floor and the sliding door to her balcony cracked open. Slowly she shuffled across the carpet, cupping the warm ceramic between her palms as she turned to face the open air into her tiny kitchen.

His back was towards her, opening and closing cabinets in search of something. He was wearing one of her old shirts, too big for her and slightly too big for him still. Something in her questioned if _something_ had happened, even though she remembered most of the night before, maybe this time would be the time she blanked.

“You’re still here.”               

Carlo Goldoni quickly turned, brow raising at her toes curled inches away from the cold tile as she slowly sipped her coffee. Kay was sure that she looked terrifying, mascara she couldn’t get off smeared around her eyes and her hair sticking out in all directions. His wasn’t much better, as usual, but his scruff was worse than it normally was. Wincing at the cold floor, she moved past him to pull the creamer from her fridge. Carlo leaned against the counter next to her, watching her with arms crossed across his stomach.

“Do you feel okay?”

“Yeah, just hungry.”

It was deathly silent, the traffic below them audible over the slow ripple of her coffee. The question sat on the tip of her tongue like a sore, aching. She decided to just get it over with.

“Did we…?”

“What?”

All it took was a glance for him to understand where she was going.

“Oh! No, you were drunk.”

“I didn’t…do anything, did I?”

She wanted to punch him when he laughed.

“No darling, you were yourself.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean.”

He could only laugh and shake his head at her, picking up his coffee cup. She turned to rifling through her cabinets in search of something to eat. It was glaringly obvious that she needed to go shopping. When she found nothing, she retired to sipping her coffee on the couch, curling her legs under her when Carlo took a place next to her. The pillow placed between them spiked her curiosity.

“Did you sleep on my couch?”

“I didn’t think you would like waking up to me in your bed.”

“I feel like you’ve dealt with that before.”

Kay couldn’t help but laugh at his sigh, giggling into her coffee as he sat up to place his own on the table.

“You have a jealous streak; did you know that?”

“Why the hell would I be jealous? We aren’t-”

“You get touchy every time I mention that I’ve slept with a girl.”

“I don’t want to hear about your 6,000 one-night stands.”

“You don’t like the idea of me being with someone.”

“Carlo, you literally threatened to castrate my ex if you ever crossed paths with him.”

“He’s an ass!”

“Well, maybe I think you can do better!”

She didn’t know when they had raised their voices, but her volume shocked her enough that she clapped a hand over her mouth with a smack that echoed. Instantly they crumbled into laugher, Kay spilling coffee on her sleeve in her attempt to avoid it by setting it down. The silence they fell into was oddly comfortable, but quickly broken when Kay turned her eyes from the dark clouds forming to look at him. What she hadn’t expected was him staring at her, crystal blue eyes sending a chill down her spine when they met hers. She almost fumbled over her question, almost, but her stomach spoke up to remind her.

“Breakfast?”

“Darling, it’s noon.”

“Brunch then.”

The smile that turned the corners of his lips was the only response she needed, quickly standing to run to her room to change. Kay could hear her laughing behind her, noticing his shirt folded on her dresser as she riffled for proper clothing. She didn’t know what that conversation was, and she didn’t really care to examine it now. She was sure of one thing, and one thing only as she tossed her bag across her shoulders

He was buying.


	10. Chapter 10

 

It was if nothing had happened. Through all of main practice, they had hardly shared a glance, and it was driving Catarina crazy. She and Vivaldi had _danced_ , chests inches from each other, fumbling hands, feeling his breath against the side of her neck and watching his eyes dilate when he noticed. Catarina remembered most of it, from swinging wildly around each other to the moment his hands politely took hold of her waist and her fingers took to shyly playing with the edges of his shirt.  Their unceremonious parting at the early hours of the morning when Loni and Clara drug her away back to Clara’s apartment for the night ate away at her the rest of the evening and well into the next day, curious as to what might have happened if she had stayed. It was too late now, here they were again in the theater and he was busy studying sheet music while they ran lines for all of Catarina, Loni, and Clara’s scenes together. She was scheduled for music practice later, hopefully he would pay some attention to her by then or she was going to pry it from those perfect hands.

The air in the theater was thick, the only lightness coming from Loni and Clara’s chemistry next to Catarina. The flirtation between Kay and Goldoni was missing, her nose in her notebook with her white boots sticking out from half under Vivaldi’s new piano and Goldoni was busy pacing across the front of the stage as the three girls sitting in the audience spoke. Those three girls had been debating what had happened between the two since the night before.

“It’s like day and night.”

“His hands were practically glued to her ass last night.”

“And hers were permanently under his jacket.”

“They went home together.”

“Do you think they…” “No!”

“They’re definitely not.”

“If they are his eye shouldn’t have been wandering earlier.”

“She could probably kick his ass.”

“She looked like she wanted to.”

Clara was convinced that he was in love with her but knew that she had heard a lot about his “prior engagements” with members of the crew and cast in the past. Loni agreed with that part, Kay had been working on and off for the theater for the past few years but was of the opinion that she held most of the feelings that he was oblivious to. Catarina didn’t care about the circumstances, she just thought that they should slide into a dressing room and make out already. God knows that was all she wanted from Vivaldi right now, but he was too busy staring at-

Oh.

He was staring at her.

Catarina instantly straightened up, knees knocking together as she moved from her once unattractive position slid down in her seat with her legs splayed outward in front of her and her pencil pressed against her lips into a more presentable pose. Those eyes were darker today, circles set deep and pupils blown wide, and it sent fluttering through her. It was almost indecent the way his eyes looked in that moment, and it confused her. The clap of Goldoni’s hands startled her, turning her eyes towards their director as he flourished.

“Alright! Miss Russo, your faux counterpart should be here soon enough, girls you are excused until next practice. Thank you.”

Loni and Clara quickly gathered their things, silently cursing as thunder rolled overhead. They were almost out the door when Kay’s voice echoed from underneath the piano for Loni to practice her lines, the room falling silent for a moment as the four of them froze. Clearing his throat, Goldoni broke the silence.

“Would you please join us on stage.”

When she entered the stage everyone had changed, Kay and Goldoni were now within five feet of each other for the first time in three hours. She was leaning against Vivaldi’s shoulder from her new seat next to him on the piano bench, and Goldoni was lounging against the instruments side quietly talking to Vivaldi.

“Catarina, would you like to look at the notes for the sheet music?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

The smile in Vivaldi’s voice made her flush, running her hands over her rain frizzed bun before squeezing onto the bench next to them as they moved over. How they were fitting three people was beyond her, she could tell Kay was barely balancing on the edge of her end; but he looked extremely please to be caught between the two of them. She had to remind herself to breath when his hand caught her waist, holding her hip firmly planted against his as she looked over the ideas scrawled into the margins.

His handwriting was awful.

Honestly, she didn’t really read anything that he had written. She couldn’t focus on anything for more than a few seconds with his fingerprints engraving into her side like that. She was thankful when Caffarelli walked onto the room, standing from the bench politely and taking her place with her sheet music on top of the piano. Her love interest had barely held a conversation with her since first practice besides formalities, so she wasn’t entirely sure of how this was going to go. She had no interest in him whatsoever, and he seemed to take none in her. Hopefully they could pull this off.

She already knew what song they were supposed to run today; Kay had told her during the first half of her practice or the day. “Lay All Your Love On Me” was the big Sky and Sophie duet of the show, and it made Cati very nervous. Never having a boyfriend made it hard for her to know how to approach the lyrics without feeling… stupid. Caffarelli was talented, without a doubt, but she wasn’t her first choice of love interest. Or her last, really.

“Miss Russo.”

Dammit.

“Yes?”

“If you’re quite ready to come back to earth, we’re ready to begin.”

“Sorry sir…”

Goldoni smiled warmly, watching Kay climb from her place on the bench to sit atop the piano before gesturing towards Vivaldi to begin. Blinking away her confusion, Cati realized her partner had taken a place across the piano from her, papers set in front of him neatly as his hands clasped In front of them. He was a very big contrast to her sheet music splayed across the shiny black top haphazardly and her elbows smearing the ebony finish. She could feel the eyes on her, daring a glance towards Vivaldi as her teeth gnawed at the purple of her lipstick.

His small wink overtook her performance nerves with a rush of heat to her cheeks.

“Maestro?”

With her cue he began to play. 


End file.
